42. Kennedy
Kennedy
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
"Are you okay?" Ernest asks after I’ve been silent for a long time. We’re sitting on the floor with King, who’s playing with building blocks.
"I'm confused. Do you know what happened today?"
He nods.
"I was so afraid for both of you. I feared that the same people who were after us would go to the house where we live too. Try to hurt my son."
"Is that why you agreed to marry him?"
"Of course," I reply quickly. "There wouldn't be any other reason."
He doesn't say anything. He puts a wooden block in King's hand, who smiles and fits it into place.
"I can't expose my son to danger, Ernest. King has the right to live a normal life. Soon, he'll need to go to preschool, learn to interact with other children. Hades has nephews and a large family. It wouldn't be fair to deny my boy that."
"I think you misunderstood my silence, dear. As I've told you before, I could die at any moment."
"Don't say that. I can't imagine my life without you."
"It's a reality you need to prepare for, Kennedy. And I'll depart more peacefully knowing you're safe."
"And do you believe I'll be safe by Hades' side?"
"I do, yes."
"Grandpaaaa," King calls, and when Ernest reaches out his arms to him, my son doesn't hesitate, running to sit on his lap.
It breaks my heart to think that we could lose Ernest suddenly, that I'll never have my dear friend again, the only person I trust with my life in this whole world.
"We need to talk, Kennedy."
"Talk?"
"About the past. The time is coming for me to tell you how I came into your life."
"I'm listening."
"Not now, my dear. Take a few days to rest. Tomorrow, we leave for New York. We'll have time to clarify everything there."
"Do you think I made the right choice by agreeing to marry Hades?"
"You did, yes. Not even the most powerful bodyguard would be able to offer you the protection that Hades can. You know why?"
"Why?"
"Because he'll be defending his own family. His wife and son."
Hades
"You have my authorization to enter the house," I say to the man on the phone, who was recommended to me by Odin.
His name is Remo Pellosi, and he's considered the greatest expert in crime scenes worldwide. According to my cousin, he has traveled the planet to solve cases considered unsolvable and has succeeded in all of them.
"I'll bring a team with me,” he says. “We might need more than a day there."
"That long? What do you expect to find?"
"What no one else has seen. I’ve asked the lawyers to give me access to the photos of the original crime scene as well—is that okay?"
"Of course. But nothing has been touched. As soon as the police released it after conducting their forensic investigation, I bought the house. It won't be of any use to me afterward; I intend to demolish it."
As soon as Kennedy agreed to exchange the legal team defending her for the one I hired, I set the wheels in motion to clear her of the charges. Officially, she's still with the team who I now know Ernest forced Balantine to pay, but not for long.
I asked them to investigate him. The senator won't get away with what he’s done, as far as I'm concerned. He abandoned his own daughter knowing she was living a miserable life, and even if he didn't know what a cruel bitch Riny Marcotte was, he ran away from his role of father.
When Kennedy finds out the truth, it will be one more disappointment added to the many she's already had in life.
"I'll contact you as soon as I reach a conclusion," says Remo.
"I'm in a hurry."
"Yes, Odin told me. Don't worry, I'll get your answers . . . but Hades?"
"Yes?"
"I don't sugarcoat the truth. I clarify the facts."
"I'm not asking you to. Kennedy is innocent. I have no doubt. We just need to prove it."
"He's the best in his field," Beau says when I hang up the phone because he knows who I was talking to.
"Yes, I know. Do you know him?"
"Let's just say he's related to someone who provides services for me."
"He’s related to one of your employees?"
"No. A doctor. More like an associate." He stares at me in silence for a while.
"Why do I feel like you want to tell me something but you're debating whether you should?"
"Because despite what you said earlier, I don't know how far you're willing to go to avenge your wife."
"There are no limits to what I would do for her."
"In that case, I might have a clue as to where Ryan is."
"We've had several clues before, and he always escapes us."
"I know, which is why I'll only tell you when he's in my hands."
"I want him."
He nods but then adds, "You know you'll be going down a path of no return? Whatever you intend to do with him before handing him over to justice, in the eyes of the law, it will be a crime."
I think of the man whose hand I let go of on the terrace a few months ago, knowing my action would send him to his death.
I've never lost a night's sleep over it. Letting him fall meant that Serenity, my sister-in-law, would have a sick stalker out of her way.
"I've always been on this path, Beau. I divide my life into people I care about, people I'm indifferent to, and those I think don't deserve to breathe. Regarding the latter, I'm willing to hasten their trip to hell.”
Kennedy
As soon as I enter the room to say goodnight to my son, who, just like in our house, has a room all to himself at the Carmouche-LeBlanc residence, Hades, who was telling King a story from a book borrowed from Amber, kisses him on the forehead, gets up, and walks towards the door.
As he passes by me, he holds my chin and kisses me, and I swear to myself that it’s being caught off-guard that prevents me from pulling away.
But even ten minutes later, I still feel the pressure and the taste of his lips on mine.
After making sure King is asleep and grabbing one of the baby monitors, I’m eager to take a shower, so I head to the suite Amber told me would be where I'd sleep. But as soon as I open the door, I know something is wrong.
Amber has sent me to an already occupied room.
There are men's clothes hanging over a chair, and I know who they belong to, as well as the Italian shoes and the socks carelessly left on the floor.
I'm also aware that I should retreat because, from where I stand, I can hear the shower running.
But I don't.
I close the door, and as if I have no control over my own legs, I walk to the bathroom.
I try to stay hidden, but as soon as I stand in the doorway, facing the mirror, I see Hades’ broad back, water cascading over his body.
I take another step forward, eager to see more, although I have no idea what I'll do if he catches me in the act. Because I know there is no excuse in the world that will make me able to explain why I am, like a voyeur, spying on my son's father naked.
The drops of water falling down his naked body, down his muscular ass, cause an almost painful tightness to concentrate between my thighs.
My feet refuse to leave.
I can't take my eyes off his body.
I'm drawn to him even though I don't trust him, even knowing I should hate him, and this tangled emotional puzzle leaves me confused and angry.
When Hades turns around, his chest on display, I know I should run. I can’t see his face because the shower glass is fogged up, but I’m sure he’s looking at me, aware that it’s me. I nearly have a heart attack when he opens the shower door and stares at me.
“Leave if it’s not what you want,” he says, “or I’ll spend the whole night inside you, showing you just how crazy I am about you.”